


One Summers Day

by SouthernGentleMonster



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Soft Kylux, soft angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2019-03-26 13:41:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13858935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SouthernGentleMonster/pseuds/SouthernGentleMonster
Summary: Ben worked at a flower shop owned by his uncle Luke to keep him out of trouble. He lived life in repetitiveness until one summers day he caught sight in a quite grumpy looking university student passing his shop. Little did he know that bright soul would shatter the darkness that had gathered in himself.





	One Summers Day

**Author's Note:**

> fic commission for hufflepuff-kylo-ren on tumblr

 

Ben couldn’t remember much of the beginning of that summer, only that long days bled in from one to the other, leaving him mostly to his boredom. The heat was at its all-time high and most days his apron covered more than his shirt. Any free time he had off from school was spent in a flower shop created by his grandmother, Padme, now owned by his uncle Luke. Luke liked to call what Ben did “training for real life,” but he saw it more as busy work to keep him out of trouble. After his mother had sent him there, his life had become a whirlwind. He had picked one too many fights, with a senator's son no less, and it had ended up all over the news and his name became a new part of the family scandal. 

The city was lazy that day : barely any cars passed the shop window and  the few folk  who dare d to leave the safety of their cooled homes moved hurriedly down the street. It gave Ben time to work on the current order for a wedding that was to take place the next day. The bride had specifically requested white lilies and Ben had to wonder if she knew what it was that she  had asked for at all :  s ymbols of sympathy normally reserved for funerals, and mixed with pink roses. The flowers clashed horribly in terms of shape , but she wanted some for every table. He set out to make the twelve bouquets needed, zoning out as he put himself through the familiar process of trimming, wrapping, and arranging. That is until a flash of movement caught his eye and he looked up to see a bright haired man struggling up the hill on his bike. He had stopped what he was doing for a good couple minutes as he watched him attempt to bike uphill and eventually give up and just start to push the bike on foot. His hair was the shade of red that reflected the sun nicely and even from here he could see clumps of summer freckles. By the looks of it , he was most likely a student at the nearby university, but who the hell took classes during the summer ?

He was brought back by the sharp jab of a rod against his spine. He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw while breathing in deeply through his nose.

“What brings us the honor of the hermit leaving his cave?” He didn’t hate his uncle necessarily , but there was annoyance and weariness nestled at the back of his mind. When the therapy that his mother had been sending him to didn’t seem to work , Luke had attempted some new age bullshit that was meant to “calm his inner self”. Neither seemed very trusting of the other and while they were civil, things were always tense between them

“Don’t stare at the sun too long lest one goes blind.” Those words made no sense : where they sat the sun only directly hit them in the early morning  and  it being well past noon now.

“The hell are you talking about old man…” Ben turned to find Luke no longer there, he

had already scuttled off to do whatever it was he did during the day. He went back to the flower order and finished it quickly. He gave it a judging look before he decided to add forget-me-nots to break up the mass of white petals whether the bride liked it or not. What does she know about flowers? When he was satisfied with how they looked , he stored them away for  the next day’s delivery. He gave a disgruntled look at the clock when he saw  that  he still had three hours left. He contemplated what he could do as he rummaged through that months orders and saw none were close enough to prepare for. Ben made sure there was no one  was  approaching the shop before he went to the back and set a kettle on the stove. Luke refused to get an electric one, claimed it made the tea taste different and he had to roll his eyes at that. Even in summer he’d only drink the organic green tea he got from the shop down the road with a good handful of sugar to boot. 

 

He sat at the small table they had out front under the shade of the awning. The ocean breeze coming in off the distant cliffs filled the air with the pleasant scent of salt. He sat relaxed in the old rocker for almost an hour, the door propped open so he could hear if the phone rang. Soon after , the ginger from earlier in the day was on his way back down the hill. He felt the words bubble from his throat before he could stop them.

“Take the bus like the rest of us , dear god, it’s not a competition as to who is most dedicated.” The biker stopped and turned. He could see the freckles clearly now, eyes that glared at him, the sun showing off the color of sea glass. 

“I’m sorry we can’t all be slackers like you.” His very tone said he very much wasn’t sorry and the posh accent put the icing on the cake, Bens laughter spilling out. On closer inspection , he could see the nicely combed hair and dress clothes. There was only one university in town and he knew it didn’t  have a  dress code, though Ben bet if he messed his hair he’d get the other one riled up.

“Do you always dress like you attend board meetings all day?” A moment of silence passed where the other huffed in annoyance.

“Do you own actual clothes , or do you enjoy sitting around half naked harassing passerbys?” Snarky. It amused him. Ben crossed his arms and shrugged , making sure he gave a small flex to show off. He rolled his eyes and mumbled something Ben didn’t catch then climbed back onto his bike. Off he went down the hill and he couldn’t help but take in the view the well fitted shirt gave him of the man's backside right down to soft rear end. Ben kept watch until he disappeared around the corner and leaned back in the chair. He chided himself about how predictable he was. Soft, bright, with that edge of snark. Knowing his luck he was just an exchange student, finishing his courses before going back to some fancy job behind a desk at someone's beck and call waiting for him overseas. The ring of the phone jolted him from his daydreaming and forced him to face his current reality. 

“Hello , this is Padme Flower Shop. How can I help you?” He leaned back against the counter, looking for pen and paper while the woman on the phone rambled out an introduction before finally getting to the point. He scribbled down notes while making indistinguishable noises of agreement. The order was for a week from now and he placed the paperwork in his to do pile before he cleaned up for the day.

When he came in the next morning , Luke was nowhere to be found. It wasn’t unusual for him to have no clue where he was half the time : hell , he didn’t even know where the old man live d . The order took up a chunk of his shift but at least it helped pass the time until he saw the cute ginger from the day before right at the end of his shift. His cousin , Rey had just come in as he was hanging up his apron and hurrying out the door.

“Hey! Gingercake!” He’d never seen someone whip around so fast that he nearly crashed his bike into the sidewalk. 

“The hell  did  you just call me?” Laughter bubbled up and filled the space between them. He had stopped his bike and looked like he was ready to throw down with Ben.

“Well, what should I call you then?” He walked out to the edge of the road and leaned against the light pole, close enough to properly see freckles scattered on flushed skin. There was hesitation before he spat out an answer.

“It’s Hux.” He gave a raised brow in response.

“So , just Hux?” A silent glare is all he needed to know he wouldn’t get his answer now. 

“Well, I’m Ben and you look pretty dehydrated and worked up there. You wanna join me for a drink? There’s a tea shop down the road.” Okay so maybe he was a bit rusty on flirting, but it wasn’t often that he went out or someone attractive crossed his path when he was. Hux gave him a searching look, shifting into a look of distrust.

“Who the hell are you?” The underlying bitterness of his words caught him off guard but did not deter him. 

“Local flower shop lackey who thinks you have a nice ass while riding a bike?” The moment the words left his mouth he could tell he crossed a line at least by a good mile. Hux closed his eyes, freckles even decorated the translucent skin there, and let out a sigh.

“If I say yes will you quit being so vulgar?” Ben gave him a crooked smile and tried not to come off eager as they walked down the road while he rambled on about the different teas the shopp provided. They sat down at one of the corner tables and  were soon serve by an anxious looking man. 

“Would you like your usual?” The server handed a menu to Hux and stepped back while he waited on Bens answer. He gave a short nod , but most of his attention was on the man in front of him. He was sharp , but soft along the edges. His eyes seemed to pin down everything they look at, including Ben.

“I would like the Ku Ding please.” Slender hands returned the menu to their server who scuttled off. Hux sat stiff backed in his booth and silence passed between them.

“So it’s obvious then that you know about tea?” A sliver of a smile broke out on his face and Ben felt his heart jump into his throat. The lights that hung low in the room brought out the deep blues and greens of his eyes even more, he almost got lost in them just like the sea before the loud voice of Phasma yanked him back to reality. 

“What’s this? You didn’t come crashing through my door? I must be dreaming. You ’d best watch out for this one , he’s real wild. ” He felt his cheeks flush. Normally , he didn’t care if anyone knew what trouble he’d gotten into , but this time he had the weird urge to impress Hux. She left them once more to the back of the shop.

“I’m going to assume yelling at random passerbys isn't the only form of troublemaking you’re involved in?” There was no judgement in his tone, words only laced with curiosity and a bit of teasing. He bit at the corner of his mouth in thought, not sure how much he should expose.

“You wont scare me off if that’s what has your knickers in a bunch.” 

“I used my fists instead of my words to talk. It’s why I work at the flower shop with my uncle.” He slid down in his seat until he felt his knees bump Hux ’ s. The last thing he expected was for Hux to laugh.

“Isn’t that the way things are? You can scream words all you like but they just don’t always get the point across. Sometimes it takes action to bring the point home.” Hux brought his hands up between them, palms rough and covered with scars. 

“I’m an architecture student.” It was stated so matter - of - fact ly that Ben wondered if there was something about architects  that he didn’t know. Hux obviously saw his confusion and continued.“These scars aren’t just from tools of the trade , Ben, at least, not technically.” He gave another pause before he continued. “I broke this thumb with a very bad left hook when I found out another of my classmates had gotten the lead on a project. I egged him on till he beat the shit out of me and got expelled for it, which surrendered the leadership to me. I very much used that to my advantage.” Something about him and Hux having this similarity left him confused, like he was talking to a part of himself in a dream. All his life he’d been told  that his emotions were problematic , yet here was someone else who found pride in his actions.

“Ahem , your tea Mr.Organa. Enjoy.” He pulled back not realizing he had grabbed Hux’s hand as Phasma laid the tray down on the table and gave him a look.  There was  a pot that he knew was full of sugar for his sake, and two other pots full of their teas. 

“Green tea? I pegged you as more a spicy type , but I guess even you have surprises.” Ben leaned forward and gave a sniff of Huxs tea.

“Is it as bitter as people say?” 

“I find it quite enjoyable, keeps one sharp and aware. A very good winter brew.” They continued with small chatter from tea to politics and while they approached things differently , they still, on some base level, agreed on a lot of matters. Hux finished his cup off and placed it down.

“What exactly are you doing in that flower shop , Ben? It seems like wasted potential. You’re obviously intelligent.” Ben held his cup close to his face, the warmth seeping into his hands as he gave it thought. 

"My parents thought it would be helpful for me to spend more time with Uncle Luke." Ben pauses briefly, thinking how to continue, "they didn't want to say it was because of my temper. I had gotten into some small fights here and there, until they weren't small anymore. Until someone almost died. That’s when people started to view me as a monster, one that needed to be controlled." Ben sighs. When Hux doesn't speak, Ben continues. "The flower shop is better than jail, I guess , even though my uncle drives me up the wall." Ben laughs derisively. Hux kept a steady gaze upon him and while he felt the instinct to break eye contact he held it. He expected Hux to get up and leave to say the least and when he didn’t ,  silence continued to stretch between them until it became uncomfortable. He didn’t like it and felt the sting of his nails against his palms as he pushed down the rise of anxiety and temper. 

“Interesting.” A single word, but enough  to make Ben want to stay to hear anything that may follow. His face softened and he leaned forward enough  so that  Ben could see the start of a beard. 

“I’m going to tell you something I learned a long time ago. There is darkness inside us all, it is linked with our human nature. Sometimes , others have more but that doesn’t mean they’re  monster s . Accept that darkness is a part of you , Ben , and know that you’re not the only one that struggles with that. It’s far easier to control if you’re not spending energy fighting it.” Hux grabbed one of his hands, the rough skin sending electric shock through him. “Tame the beast and it can be your greatest weapon.” 

“Do you have your own beasts?” The words are bitter on his tongue. It would be too easy if there was someone to magically show up and understand how he felt, to have gone through something similar to him. Hux stilled and Ben felt the grip on his hand tightened before Hux withdrew completely. Anger filled his eyes like cold flame.

“I do.”A brief pause as Hux knitted his brows together in thought. Ben  was almost  distracted by Hux wetting his lips before speaking. “I killed my father--- in defense.” Ben stopped breathing, the shock a punch to the gut.

“I’m sorry.” Ben didn’t know what he expected , but  it  surely wasn’t that.

“No need to feel sorry : he was a real bastard.” Hux cleared his throat and glanced down at his watch and frowned. “I apologize , but I must take my leave. I have a meeting I need to attend. It was a pleasure having tea with you.” Those were his final words before he placed cash on the table and left the shop. Ben stayed at the table until Phasma came and sat with him.

“So , who’s the ginger? He obviously has a thing for you.” She gave his shoulder a tap with her fist. He shook his head and left after paying. The way back to his apartment was a haze,  his  thoughts swimming with that day’s events. No matter how much he tossed or turned that night , he couldn’t fall asleep. Logically , he should be scared of Hux, his confession a dark one , but he couldn’t draw the fear up from his well of emotions. Eventually , he drifted into an uneasy sleep , only waking when he heard a pound at his door. He shuffled out and answered to find his cousin Rey standing there.

“You’re late.” The clock he kept near the front door for the very reason of making sure he was never late blinked at him. He was indeed late by two hours. 

“Give me a half hour…” Seeing himself ,   it was obvious what little sleep he got wasn’t helpful. When he got there , his uncle took a stab at this feet with his cane.

“Did you get lost in a cave while dressing?” 

“That there is a dirty sin to wear socks with flip flops.” He shot a glare in the direction of Poe who was putting up his apron. 

“You can fuck off Poe.” They had always butted heads since the first time Rey had brought him around the shop and things only got worse when he started to cover shifts there. 

“I will gladly do so if it means not dealing with you , Mister Grumpy Bear.” In annoyance and frustration , he threw one of the empty flower pots at where Poe was moments before. He felt a whack against his back and  heard a stern “behave” before he was left alone once more. He was lost in his own thoughts and didn’t register the sound of the ringing bell as someone walked through the door.

“You look like shit. Did you get in a fight with your mattress?” Ben looked up and there was Hux. He was in casual dress clothes compared to yesterday, his hair relaxed instead of combed back. Ben was taken aback. Even dressed down , Hux still dressed better than he did.

“You , uh , look nice.” Any agitation left over from that morning seemed to vanish. “What are you doing here? ” 

“Thought I’d return the favor of harassing you. Plus , I’ve never been in here before, never had the need.” He strangely looked in place, the flowers behind him formed a halo as he looked around the messy shop. Ben dropped the pliers he was using and they clattered to the ground. 

“Careful Ben.” He spoke with such seriousness but an underlying tone made Ben squirm. Hux picked them up and returned them, his hand brushing Ben ’ s.

“Don’t you have school?” He made himself busy, having Hux in the shop felt weird, as if he was more real now that he was inside this bubble of his life. 

“I’m a workaholic , but even I know my bod y’ s limits and  need for breaks.” Hux sat on the rickety stole they had and set his sights on him, feet perched so that his legs didn’t touch the ground . “Go on then , don’t let me being here stop you from working.” 

They had gotten in an order for wreaths that morning, one of the more time consuming projects that Ben normally hated , but even when time was being passed in silence as he worked , Hux ’ s presence seemed to bring him calm. After a while , he was able to pin a distinct smell in the room to Hux, like the smell after a thunderstorm that lingered around him. At some point ,  Hux had began to hum, his voice had a lilt to it  and  one had to wonder if Hux really wasn’t some sort of fae. 

“What is that?” Hux briefly stopped, hands fiddling with a stim of Azalea flowers on the table. 

“It’s a song from my mother, one of the few things I still remember of her from when I was a child...” When he fell quiet , Ben reached out and took Hux ’ s hands into his, slender fingers locked between his, the flower sticking out between them. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Ben asked. Hux stilled and shook his head. He could feel his heart pounding in his throat as he watched the twitch of pain cross Hux ’ s face. Without giving it much thought , he brought their hands up and kissed the scars  on Hux ’ s knuckles. His mother would do that when he was younger when he was upset, to show that she was there for him if he needed her. Tears burned at the back of his eyes, Hux ’ s face a mask of shock. 

“I’m sorry , I shouldn’t have done that.” He drew into himself, his shoulders drooped so he looked smaller,  his  arms down at his sides. 

“Nothing to be sorry about.” He laced the flower behind Bens ear, his eyes trailing down to his lips before he leaned in and kissed him. Warmth flooded from Ben ’ s chest and  crept  up to his cheeks. He could still taste bitter tea in the dips of Hux ’ s mouth, his hand gripped the front of Bens shirt. They were both eager, Ben only breaking away briefly to catch his breath. He let his hands wander over everything he could reach over the counter until he laced them through Hux ’ s hair.

“Soft…” 

“You can be soft , too , ” Hux responded with a laugh. Ben bit at the corner of his mouth out of anxiousness. His head was buzzing and everything felt like a dream where he was falling forever. 

“No love birds in the shop!” He jumped in surprise, knocking their noses together and  swearing . 

“What the hell , Rey?” It was just then that a loud beeping went off and Hux pulled out his phone and furrowed his brow in confusion. 

“I’m sorry . I have to go. I’ll explain later.” His tone was somewhat panicked but Ben didn’t have the chance to ask before Hux was gone.

“Why would you do that?!” He could feel his temper start to rise. Rey twirled the broom in her hand casually.

“Because you’re supposed to be working , not swapping spit with the exchange student.” He ripped off his smock and left the shop seeing red. He moved on autopilot until he made it back to his apartment. He grabbed the milkcrate of old plates he kept in the kitchen just for this reason and started to chuck them at the reinforced wall. All he could hear was the pounding in his ears, the rhythm of shattering glass, and his screams until he wore himself out and collapsed on the ground. It felt like no matter how hard he tried , he could never keep anything that made him happy. The sting of broken glass in his palms caused him to hiss in pain , but he didn't move to pull it out. He stayed there till his heart slowed and only moved far enough to get to his bed before he flopped down on top the covers. Blanket be damned : he didn’t care if he stained it with blood at this point. In that moment , he had felt a light flare up inside him and now darkness crawled back to consume it. He didn’t know how long he laid there before he heard running up the stairs and someone rushing through his door. He was ready to yell  “ get out ” , the intruder most likely being Rey or Luke. 

“Ben.” The voice cut through the ringing in his ears. It was stern but concerned and coming from the last person in the world that should give a shit about him. “I really hope you didn’t do this because I had to leave, that would be a rather stupid decision.” The words hurt and made him curl further into himself to hide the damage.

“Go away.” The bed dipped and he felt warmth on his backside. 

“Come now, don’t be like this. Roll over and let me see.” Ben wiped away the tears that had gathered on his face. He untangled from himself and sat up. Though he was physically bigger, he felt small under Hux’s gaze. 

“How did you find me?” 

“Your cousin gave me your address.” The silence that followed caused Ben ’ s stomach to lurch.  He had a feeling that a much longer conversation had happened been Hux and his cousin.

“So , you came to find me?” He felt his hands being slowly unfurled and pieces of glass being plucked out , e ach one placed into a neat pile next to them. 

“Something obviously happened , so why wouldn’t I? Stay put.” Hux got up and he could hear him rummaging in his kitchen and the running of water. He returned and rubbed away at the drying blood on his hands. Normally , he’d be the one to patch himself up, no one having ever come after him before. It was always “let him cool down by himself” growing up and it had left him feeling unwanted and lonely. 

“Look at me.” He met Hux ’ s eyes and marveled at the shift of colors as the sun hit them. “Promise me you won ’ t do something so foolish again.” Ben flopped down on the bed, careful to avoid the glass next to him. His heart thundered in his chest and he felt warm.

“I don’t think I could keep such a promise.” Hux scooped up the pile and tossed it into the trash next to the bed then situated himself next to Ben. 

“Could you possibly give it a valiant effort?” He felt the brush of Hux ’ s hand s against his and they intertwined into his own.

“I can try.” The ticking of the clock and their slow breathing  was all that could be heard in the room and he lost track of time. Had it been a minute? Five? Maybe an hour? He really couldn't tell. The words felt heavy on his tongue and almost like they would drown him if he didn’t get them out. “What really made you come here?” Hux gave a little huff of laughter, breath warm against Ben ’ s face , and a small smile that made Bens stomach flip.

“Well , you’re interesting , that’s for sure. You’re also the first person to ever so blatantly reach out to me even though , to be quite honest , I thought you did so in a rather vulgar manner , but I guess even that had its charm. We both are broken , but perhaps we can fit together.” 

Ben drifted asleep in the comfort of warmth and the soft sound of breathing. In his last conscious moments he thought that just maybe that happiness would be willing to stay.

  
  



End file.
